“I think some people love Thickwood, I think that’s fine but I don’t want to live up the hill, in Timberlea or Dickinsfield. I want to live in Waterways,” says Jean.

Jean says governments should be listening to the people in the community as they are the ones who should have the priority to make the decision about rebuilding in destroyed neighbourhoods.

He says if the neighbourhoods were good enough to build in originally, he thinks accommodations should be made for people that choose to live in those regions.

Jeans says there are issues to deal with like slope stability but thinks people should be able to rebuild in Abasand, Beacon Hill, and Waterways.

“Listen to the people.They are the ones that should have the priority to make this decision and if you have the opportunity to listen, I think you’ll clearly hear that people want to be back in the areas they were before and they want to rebuild it,” says Jean.

As for rebuilding his own destroyed home, Jean says he has plans ready and no basement that needs to be removed, so why can’t he rebuild there?

He says most insurance requires people to replace their items within a year to have full reimbursement, but if people can’t rebuild now, they’ll hjave nowhere to put their things.

He says he hopes the municipality works closely with insurance to allow people to start building.

You can hear more with Brian Jean today at noon on Fort McMurray Matters.